Body lock



- July 7, 1936.

A. W. MOLINARE BODY LOCK Filed April 13, 1935 Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims. (Cl. 298--38) This invention relates to dumping vehicles, and, as illustrated, it is applied to the type in which the body is of the hopper form mounted to tilt or roll to either side of the frame. for discharging its contents. The object of the invention is to provide locking means for securing the body inupright position on the frame, and. to arrange suchmeans so that it may beconveniently released for dumping the body and will automatically lock upon return of the body to-normal position. The invention comprises certain features aniielements of construction in combination asherein shown and described, and as indicated by the claims.

;In the drawing: Figure 1 is a conventional front elevation of a dumping vehicle fitted with locking mechanism embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevation similartoFigure 1 buton a larger scale for showing details of the lock construction.

4 Figure 4 is a vertical section taken as indicated atline ,44 on Figure 3. v

Figure'5 is a detail section showing another modification of the lock.

;Figure 6 is a detail section taken as indicated at ne -6 on Figure Figure '1 is a vertical section on a larger scale taken as indicated at line I- -'I on Figure 5.

'The vehicle chosen for the purpose of illustration includes a hopper body, I, carried on a drop frame, 2, which includes transverse rails, 3, on which the rockers, 4, of the body rollfor tilting the bodyinto dumping position at either side of the frame. An upright end portion, 5, of the frame extends adjacent each end portion, 6, of the body. Thismakes it convenient to provide locking means for; engaging said adjacent end portions witheach other for holding the body n upright position.

. As shown in Figure 1, a stop member, I, is secured 'to the end surface, 6, of the body to be engaged between spaced latch bolts, 8, 8. These bolts, as indicated in Figure 3, are slidably mounted'in vertical guideways, 9, 9, carried by a plate, I0, which is pivotally attached at II to a cross member, I2, of the upright end frame, 5. Each ofthe bolts, 8, is urged outwardly into locking 50. position by its spring, I3, pocketed in the guide,

9; and each'of said latches has its outer end beveled. at I4 so that as the hopper body, I, is rolled backfrom. dumping position toward its central upright. position, the stop member, 1, upon con- 55. tacting .oneof said beveled faces, I4, will depress the latch bolt, 8, and pass it. As the body arrives at upright position said stop, I, will encounter the other latch bolt and will be arrested thereby.

If the guides, 9, were rigidly mounted on the end frame, 5, such encounter of the stop, I, with the bolt, 8, might cause a rebound such that the stop, I, would interfere with the return of the depressed bolt, 8, and the body might even recoil laterally away from the locking device. To avoid this, the pivotally mounted plate, I8, which carries the bolt guides, 9, is cushioned between springs, I5, which permit limited lateral movement of the plate, I0, about its pivot, II. Thus it is enabled to yield laterally when the stop, I, encounters the upstanding bolt, 8, and this avoids the sudden shock of such encounter and prevents recoil of the stop, I, from the bolt, 8, said parts moving laterally together and allowing time for the other bolt, 8, to return to locking position and engage the opposite side of the stop, I, to confine it.

For unlocking the body, I, to permit tilting it to one side or the other, one of the bolts, 8, is withdrawn in opposition to its spring, I3, by tensioning a cable, I6, which is guided over pulleys, II, I8 and I9, to a point of attachment on a winding drum, 20, mounted on a rock shaft, 2I, near the middle of the length of the drop frame, 2. A foot, treadle, 22, is arranged for rocking the shaft, 2 I, and thus winding the cable, I6, onto the drum by an amount sufiicient for drawing one of the bolts, 8, out of contact with the stop, 1. If the body is of symmetrical design, as indicated in Figure 2, I may provide similar locking devices at both ends on the upright frames, 5, 5,

and in that event the drum, 20, will actuate two cables, I6, one extending to one of the bolts, 8, at one end of the body, and the other extending to one of the bolts, 8, at the other end, both said bolts being disposed at the same side of the 1ongitudinal center line so that the withdrawal of both bolts will clear the way for tilting the body to one side. And, preferably, the treadle, 22, for withdrawing a given pair of bolts, will be disposed at the opposite side of the center line from the bolts, 6, so thatthe operator may stand at the side of the vehicle opposite that to which the load is to be dumped, and by pressing the treadle, 22, at that side, he will release the proper bolts to allow tilting of the body toward the opposite side. In the same manner a second rock shaft, 23, with the separate treadle, 24, at the opposite side of the frame, 2, controls the other pair of bolts for allowing tilting of the body in the other direction.

The look just described serves for holding the body, I, against lateral movement except the limited movement permitted by the cushion spring, IE, but in traveling over rough roads there is some possibility that the body may bounce upwardly from the frame rails, 3, on which it rests. To check this tendency the frame, 5, supports a short section of rail, 25, extending transversely adjacent the end portion, 6, of the body, and the body carries an abutment which may be in'the form of a roller, 26, which is disposed just under said rail, 25, when the body stands in locked position.

Heretofore, in some structures of this type, check chains have been provide'd'for holding the body down on the frame, and in some instances such chains have included spring members to allow of limited lateral motion ofthe body; 'The' provision of the cushion springs, I5, in associa tion with the locking device at one or both ends oflthebody; and thearrangement of the horizontal check rail, 25, permit such chains to" be operating on substantially the same principle.

In this form the locking latches, 59, are mounted inthe guide housing, 5!, so that they are movable horizontally toward and from the end wall,

6, of the body. 'The' housing is supported on guide rods, 52 and 53, mounted in the brackets, 54, which, in turn, are secured to theend frame,

. 5; Cushion springs, 55, on the rod, 52, serve to center the housing, 5|, and the latch bolts, 50',

while allowing the desirable lateral movement for absorbing the shock when the stop member, 60, on the end-wall, 6, of the body encounters one ofthe' bolts in coming to locking position, In

this arrangement each of the bolts may be providedwith a bell crank, 6 l, operable by means of a;cable, not shown, but similartothat shown in Figure 2, and trea'dle-actuatedin the same'm'anner; Returnsprings, 62, shown in Figure 7, act through each bell crank, 6!, to urge the bolts, 50; into locking position; To' check upward movementof the body, the stop member, '60, is made with laterally projecting'portions, 63, over which the ends of the bolts, 50, extend in locking position, as seen in Figures 6, and'l.

It will be evident that in each of. the forms of mylinventio'n herein described, the locking means forholdingthe body upright is so arranged that the'body is yieldingly anchored to. the frame in this position, with capacity for limited lateral movement when the frame vibrates in response to roughness of the road; and it will also be seen that in each form of the lock this same capacity for lateral yielding increases the certainty of operation of'th' twin latch bolts by absorbing'any tendency for the stop member to recoil rromthe bolt which arrests itas the parts swing intolocking position. While there is shown and described certain specific structure embodying theinvention, it will bemanifest to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and re-arrangements of'the parts-may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the same is not' limited to the particular form herein shown and described, exceptin so faras indicated by the appended claims;

"Iclaiinz' 4 i '1'; In combination with a vehicle frameand a body tiltably mounted thereon, locking means comprising a stop member on the body and a pair of latch bolts'between which said member admit the latter to position between vertical surfaces of said bolts, said, stop including upwardly facing surfacesdisposed adjacent the under surfaces of the bolts in their locking positions,

whereby the'bolt's serve both to hold the body at uprightposition and to check it against vertical movement with respect tothe frame.

"25hr combination with a vehicle frame and a body tiltably mounted thereon, locking means for holding the body upright comprising a stop member; on. the-bodyand a pair'of springproe iectedx latch bolts arranged to engage opposite" faces of saidmember together with guide-means on which said bolts'areretractably carried, said guide means being mounted on the: frame 101 limitedyielding movement in substantially the directionv of tilting movement of the'gbody, and being arranged 'forproj ection and jretraction of the "bolts in approximately horizontal direction toward and from the body, said stop member imeluding substantially vertical surfaces engaged;

between said boltsand horizontal "surfaces facing'upwardly for encounter. with the under faces 7 of the bolts when the parts are in locked position.

3. In combination with a vehicle'framestructure an'da'body' structuretiltably mountedthereon, ailock foriholding: the body-"upright compris -1 in response to the encounter of the stopandthe 7 other bolt-, and spring means t'ending'to hold the said member normally between its-lateral limits of movement- V e r T 4 .*In"combination-with a vehicle frame and 'a' body tiltably 'mounted' -thereon, a 'lock forl'ioldii'ig the; body upright comprising a stop member on thebody and} apair of independently sprir g' pro jected latch: boltsbetween which said stop is '1 closely'confined in lock-ing'p'osit'ion, together with uide means for said bolts carried 'on me rrame, said lock including means for automatically re:

tractingone of the" bolts to admit'the stop "between them as the body is tilted into upright position; a support on which? saidguifde means is mounted for limited? lateral movementi n response to the encounterfofthe stop andftl le'bther boltgandisprlng. nieansftending .to hold the guide means {normally midway betweenit's lateralw limits qfm m r J 1 i I i r '5.- In combination with atvehicle frame "an d a bodygtiltably mounted thereon alock, for holds on-the bodyand a pair of independently spring,

projected latchtboltsz between which said'fstop is closelyrconfined:in'lockingposition;together with guide meansfor saidbolts carried on the frame;

71' 1ng,the;bodyupr1ghtcomprising astopmember said lock including means for automatically retracting one of the bolts to admit the stop between them as the body is tilted into upright position; a member on which said guide means is carried, said member being pivotally mounted on the frame for limited lateral movement in response to the encounter of the stop and the other bolt, and spring means reacting between said member and the frame for yieldingly permitting such movement and restoring the member to normal position thereafter.

6. In combination with a vehicle frame and a body tiltably mounted thereon, a lock for holding the body upright comprising a stop member on the body and a pair of independently springprojected latch bolts between which said stop is closely confined in looking position, together with guide means for said bolts carried on the frame, said lock including means for automatically retracting one of the bolts to admit the stop be- 7 tween them as the body is tilted into upright position; said guide means including a guide member and a rod on which it is slidably carried with means securing the rod to the frame, and spring means permitting limited lateral movement of the guide member on the rod in response to the encounter of the stop and the other bolt and'tending to return said guide means to normal position thereafter.

7. In combination with a vehicle frame structure and a body structure tiltably mounted thereon, a lock for holding the body upright comprising a stop member securedto one of said structures and a 'pair of independently spring-projected latch bolts between which said stop is closely confined in locking position, together with guide means for said bolts carried on the other of said structures, said stop and bolts having surfaces formed to cooperate camwise so that one 5 of the bolts is forced back by encounter with the stop to admit the stop between them as the body is tilted into upright position, a member on which said guide means is mounted for limited lateral movement in response to the encounter of the stop and the other bolt and spring means permitting such lateral movement and tending to return the member to its normal position thereafter.

8. In combination with a vehicle frame structure and a body structure tiltably mounted thereon, a lock for holding the body upright comprising a stop secured to one of said structures and means on the other structure between which said stop is closely confined in locking position, said means including a spring-projected latch bolt to engage one side of the stop and an opposed stop surface for engaging the opposite side, said lock including means for automatically retracting the spring bolt to admit the stop between it and the said stop surface as the body is tilted into upright position; a guide member with guide means for said bolt mounted for limited lateral movement in response to the encounter of the stop with the stop surface, and spring means permitting said limited movement of the guide means and tending to return the same to normal position.

ANTHONY W. MOLINARE. 

